Dental Sherpas

In today's episode, Dr. Cedric Lewis and Matt Kennedy discuss the importance of defining your practice's core values and using them as a framework through which you measure and communicate how the practice and your team is performing.

Many dental offices are struggling to retain or find employees in today's post pandemic environment.  In today's episode, Dr. Cedric Lewis and Matt Kennedy talk through strategies to deal with this issue.  Many times, employees think the owner puts profit before people.  This mindset among your employees is poison.  In this episode you'll learn how to make sure that your communication with your team consistently wards off this damaging mindset.

We've identified 10 distinct phases that all dental practices move through while transforming into a business that outlives the owner/doctor and allows he or she to get out of the chair.  Over the next few episodes, Dr. Cedric Lewis and Matt Kennedy will discuss each phase, how to know  which phase your practice is in and what you need to aim for to get forward momentum toward the next phase. 

We've identified 10 distinct phases that all dental practices move through while transforming into a business that outlives the owner/doctor and allows he or she to get out of the chair.  Over the next few episodes, Dr. Cedric Lewis and Matt Kennedy will discuss each phase, how to know  which phase your practice is in and what you need to aim for to get forward momentum toward the next phase. 

We've identified 10 distinct phases that all dental practices move through while transforming into a business that outlives the owner/doctor and allows he or she to get out of the chair.  Over the next few episodes, Dr. Cedric Lewis and Matt Kennedy will discuss each phase, how to know  which phase your practice is in and what you need to aim for to get forward momentum toward the next phase. 

Most doctors, consultants, marketers, etc. focus almost entirely on growing production or top line revenue.  In today's episode, Dr. Cedric Lewis and Matt Kennedy discuss how this narrow focus can certainly grow revenue but doesn't necessarily equate to a better business. 

Because most dentists build their practice from the ground up and know everything about everything, they become the central hub for all questions and processes in the practice.  In today's episode, Dr. Cedric Lewis and Matt Kennedy discuss how this “doctor as the hub” approach can have a devastating effect on the practice's potential and it's long term value.

Many Dentists believe that the main thing that makes their practice valuable is production/collections/profit.  While this can increase the value of the practice, it's not the place to focus on to get buyers to pay a lot of money.  To understand what drives the value of a business, including a dental practice, look at it through the eyes of an investor.  In this mini-series, Dr. Lewis and Matt Kennedy teach you to do just that.  They break down the 8 principles that will exponentially drive up the value of your practice. 

Many Dentists believe that the main thing that makes their practice valuable is production/collections/profit.  While this can increase the value of the practice, it's not the place to focus on to get buyers to pay a lot of money.  To understand what drives the value of a business, including a dental practice, look at it through the eyes of an investor.  In this mini-series, Dr. Lewis and Matt Kennedy teach you to do just that.  They break down the 8 principles that will exponentially drive up the value of your practice. 

Many Dentists believe that the main thing that makes their practice valuable is production/collections/profit.  While this can increase the value of the practice, it's not the place to focus on to get buyers to pay a lot of money.  To understand what drives the value of a business, including a dental practice, look at it through the eyes of an investor.  In this mini-series, Dr. Lewis and Matt Kennedy teach you to do just that.  They break down the 8 principles that will exponentially drive up the value of your practice. 

As more and more sophisticated buyers enter the marketplace for dental practices, understanding how they evaluate your practice is critical.  They are not buying your dental practice!  They are buying the future profit your dental practice will produce.  In today's episode, Dr. Cedric Lewis and Matt Kennedy break down the ways these investor buyers are looking at your practice.

In today's episode, Dr. Cedric Lewis and Matt Kennedy do a deep dive on an offer to buy a practice sent in by a listener.  They talk about the numbers but also the mindset of the buyer and the psychology it appears the potential buyer is using to make the offer seem more attractive than it might really be. 

All business decisions in the practice need to be driven by data. But in today's episode, Dr. Cedric Lewis and Matt Kennedy discuss the danger in chasing the data but not capitalizing operationally on what the data is telling you. This is a boots on the ground discussion you won't want to miss!

Creating a business that allows you to get out of the chair and actually taking the leap of getting out of the chair are 2 different things.  In today's episode, Dr. Cedric Lewis and Matt Kennedy discuss what keeps doctors stuck in the chair, even after they've built their practice to allow them to exit. 

In today's episode, Dr. Cedric Lewis and Matt Kennedy discuss the first things you should do once you've decided to re-engineer your practice and work toward getting out of the chair. 

Most associate doctors struggle with evaluating potential practices to work for.  Many times, they choose based on the guaranteed pay.  In this episode, Dr. Cedric Lewis and Matt Kennedy discuss some practical ways an associate doctor can determine which practices offer good opportunities and which don't.  Here's a spoiler…a good opportunity has nothing to do with the guarantee! 

With corporate dentistry gaining market share in just about every market in the US, doctors are wondering how to compete.  In today's episode, Dr. Cedric Lewis and Matt Kennedy discuss the multiple associate model and why you need to understand it and consider implementing it.

Today's episode is loaded with nuggets of wisdom from Joseph Snyder, Operational Specialist at Hawaii Family Dental.   

In today's Episode, Dr. Cedric Lewis and Matt Kennedy reveal the 3 places they see doctors get stuck when trying to grow their practice.  Knowing these danger zones will allow you to proactively create strategies to avoid them.  Don't miss this episode!

In today's episode, Dr. Cedric Lewis and Matt Kennedy talk about the daily huddle and how having a 3 step approach ensures it becomes an empowering time for your team as well as your company.

Have you seen pictures of the line of climbers waiting to summit Mt. Everest on a day with clear weather?  Because there are so few clear weather days on the Summit, when one is predicted, every climber races to take advantage.  This creates a bottleneck in what is called the Death Zone that puts every climber at incredible risk. The same can be said for following the old and crowded paths to practice growth.  Most don't create the one thing dentists are hoping for, time freedom.   In this new mini-series, Dr. Cedric Lewis and Matt Kennedy discuss simple principles that when applied, will allow you to skip the line of competition and frustration and catapult you to the top! 

Have you seen pictures of the line of climbers waiting to summit Mt. Everest on a day with clear weather?  Because there are so few clear weather days on the Summit, when one is predicted, every climber races to take advantage.  This creates a bottleneck in what is called the Death Zone that puts every climber at incredible risk. The same can be said for following the old and crowded paths to practice growth.  Most don't create the one thing dentists are hoping for, time freedom.   In this new mini-series, Dr. Cedric Lewis and Matt Kennedy discuss simple principles that when applied, will allow you to skip the line of competition and frustration and catapult you to the top! 

Have you seen pictures of the line of climbers waiting to summit Mt. Everest on a day with clear weather?  Because there are so few clear weather days on the Summit, when one is predicted, every climber races to take advantage.  This creates a bottleneck in what is called the Death Zone that puts every climber at incredible risk. The same can be said for following the old and crowded paths to practice growth.  Most don't create the one thing dentists are hoping for, time freedom.   In this new mini-series, Dr. Cedric Lewis and Matt Kennedy discuss simple principles that when applied, will allow you to skip the line of competition and frustration and catapult you to the top! 

Have you seen pictures of the line of climbers waiting to summit Mt. Everest on a day with clear weather?  Because there are so few clear weather days on the Summit, when one is predicted, every climber races to take advantage.  This creates a bottleneck in what is called the Death Zone that puts every climber at incredible risk. The same can be said for following the old and crowded paths to practice growth.  Most don't create the one thing dentists are hoping for, time freedom.   In this new mini-series, Dr. Cedric Lewis and Matt Kennedy discuss simple principles that when applied, will allow you to skip the line of competition and frustration and catapult you to the top! 

In this episode, Dr. Cedric Lewis and Matt Kennedy discuss why adding same day dentistry is so important and how to add it.  This change to your mindset and your execution will yield dramatic increases in treatment acceptance and, in turn, productivity.

In today's episode, Dr. Cedric Lewis and Matt Kennedy discuss the value of having a professional CFO no matter how big or small your practice is with Dr. Lewis's CFO, Ben Hernandez of Skytale Group.

In today's episode, Dr. Cedric Lewis and Matt Kennedy discuss an event that occurred in Dr. Lewis's practice recently that gave him an opportunity to grow as a leader.  Who you are as a leader is so important as you climb toward dental freedom.   Today's episode will challenge and inspire you! 

Justin Coke brings a wealth of experience and wisdom to today's episode.  He shares some lessons he's learned as he and his partners grew from one bootstrapped dental office to nine locations.  You'll also hear about how his experience as a patient led him to create different approach for his company.  Please don't miss this one!

The competition for associate doctors is fierce.  Knowing what associates are looking for in a practice to join gives you a leg up on recruiting and retaining them.  More importantly, it allows you to build a practice that attracts them.  In today's episode, Dr. Lewis and Matt lay out the Associate Matrix.  This episode will lay out exactly what associates want and how to give it to them.

Getting to the place where dentistry becomes optional is hard.  But staying there can be even harder.  In this episode, Dr. Cedric Lewis and Matt Kennedy continue a series focused on how to stay out of the chair once you get there.  To do so, you don't have to apply yourself to everything in the dental office anymore but you do have to apply yourself to a few things.  This series will cover the right things to monitor and apply pressure to from someone (Dr. Ced) who's been there and is working to stay there. 

Getting to the place where dentistry becomes optional is hard.  But staying there can be even harder.  In this episode, Dr. Cedric Lewis and Matt Kennedy continue a series focused on how to stay out of the chair once you get there.  To do so, you don't have to apply yourself to everything in the dental office anymore but you do have to apply yourself to a few things.  This series will cover the right things to monitor and apply pressure to from someone (Dr. Ced) who's been there and is working to stay there. 

Getting to the place where dentistry becomes optional is hard.  But staying there can be even harder.  In this episode, Dr. Cedric Lewis and Matt Kennedy continue a series focused on how to stay out of the chair once you get there.  To do so, you don't have to apply yourself to everything in the dental office anymore but you do have to apply yourself to a few things.  This series will cover the right things to monitor and apply pressure to from someone (Dr. Ced) who's been there and is working to stay there. 

Getting to the place where dentistry becomes optional is hard.  But staying there can be even harder.  In this episode, Dr. Cedric Lewis and Matt Kennedy continue a series focused on how to stay out of the chair once you get there.  To do so, you don't have to apply yourself to everything in the dental office anymore but you do have to apply yourself to a few things.  This series will cover the right things to monitor and apply pressure to from someone (Dr. Ced) who's been there and is working to stay there. 

Getting to the place where dentistry becomes optional is hard.  But staying there can be even harder.  In this episode, Dr. Cedric Lewis and Matt Kennedy continue a series focused on how to stay out of the chair once you get there.  To do so, you don't have to apply yourself to everything in the dental office anymore but you do have to apply yourself to a few things.  This series will cover the right things to monitor and apply pressure to from someone (Dr. Ced) who's been there and is working to stay there. 

Getting to the place where dentistry becomes optional is hard.  But staying there can be even harder.  In this episode, Dr. Cedric Lewis and Matt Kennedy continue a series focused on how to stay out of the chair once you get there.  To do so, you don't have to apply yourself to everything in the dental office anymore but you do have to apply yourself to a few things.  This series will cover the right things to monitor and apply pressure to from someone (Dr. Ced) who's been there and is working to stay there. 

Getting to the place where dentistry becomes optional is hard.  But staying there can be even harder.  In this episode, Dr. Cedric Lewis and Matt Kennedy begin a series focused on how to stay out of the chair once you get there.  To do so, you don't have to apply yourself to everything in the dental office anymore but you do have to apply yourself to a few things.  This series will cover the right things to monitor and apply pressure to from someone (Dr. Ced) who's been there and is working to stay there. 

Is that offer to buy your practice a good one?  With Private Equity backed DSOs aggressively trying to grow through acquisitions, dentists are getting offers sometimes weekly.    And most dentists, in there current single doctor model, are counting on the proceeds of a sale to fuel a significant portion of their retirement.  Understanding these offers and there implications to your future can be overwhelming.  In this episode, Dr. Cedric Lewis and Matt Kennedy break down the anatomy of an offer and pull back the curtain on where the numbers are coming from.  What you don't know can prove to be very expensive.  Don't skip this episode!

Many times when people get to a place where they don't know what to do in their business, they stop.  As a result, they might fail to reach their full potential.  In this episode, Dr. Cedic Lewis and Matt Kennedy discuss a personal story that forced Ced to develop a framework for what to do when he didn't know what to do.  He shared this framework with his team and it has since had a profound impact on the team and how he leads them.  Apply this framework to your life and business and you'll see results. 

A successful summit of Mt. Everest always includes avoiding mistakes that can prove fatal.  Knowing what to avoid at all costs is either learned through years of experience or from the wisdom passed on down by people who've been up there.  The same is true when building a practice where you are no longer the main producer…or what the Dental Sherpas call “climbing out of the dental chair”.  In today's episode, Dr. Cedric Lewis and Matt Kennedy discuss the mistakes that must be avoided at all costs to make your climb out of the chair successful.

Most doctors are chasing new patients and operative production and their hygiene recall is something that gets done when their staff has nothing else to do.  In this episodes, Dr. Cedric Lewis and Matt Kennedy interview Dr. Sigurd Enoksen and discuss how hygiene recall is the backbone of his $6 million/yr. practice.  Sigurd is one of the smartest guys in dentistry today and he drops incredible knowledge bombs throughout you won't want to miss.

Did you know that 70% of the treatment presented in dental practices across the US doesn't get accepted.  This is a staggering number.  In today's episode, Dr. Cedric Lewis and Matt Kennedy are joined by Bobby Hansen, CEO of Treatment 24/7.  Bobby shares insights from his days as a treatment coordinator in a high octane practice and how that experience led them to develop a better method of presenting treatment that dramatically increases acceptance.  This podcast gets into the data of patient behavior and also covers some easy and practical best practices to implement TODAY to increase your acceptance.  This is a must listen for all docs and treatment coordinators!

You can have the best plan in the world but if you or your team don't hold yourselves accountable to execute, the plan is really just a hope and a wish.  In this episode, Dr. Cedric Lewis, along with Matt Kennedy, get's vulnerable and shares a leadership and accountability lesson he recently learned in his own practice.  The insight gained is fantastic and well worth listening for. 

This episode is special. In it, Dr. Ced Lewis and Matt Kennedy talk with Dr. James Anderson, CEO and Co-Founder of E-Assist. He also is a practicing dentist having built 9 practices over the years. He reveals how he struggled to build and lead a team until he was introduced to the concept of becoming a servant leader. If you're looking for a roadmap to becoming the leader your team needs, this episode is a must listen.

As long time listeners know, CoHost Dr. Cedric Lewis has a multi-location practice with no partners. Our guest today, Dr. Josh Cochran, has grown his practice by adding partners. We're thrilled to do a deep dive into his philosophy and model in this episode.

In this episode, Dr. Cedric Lewis and Matt Kennedy discuss how critical the doctor's role in treatment presentation and acceptance is.

Many doctors only look at and get excited about their restorative schedule.  In today's episode, Dr. Cedric Lewis and Matt Kennedy discuss how to see the opportunity in your hygiene schedule.  

It's easy to see that to move out of the chair you'll have to depend on associate doctors for production.  What's not easy to see is the return you are getting on your investment in those associates.  In this episode, Dr. Cedric Lewis and Matt Kennedy discuss this very important metric and how to use it to support and uplift your associate doctors.

In this episode, Dr. Ced Lewis and Matt Kennedy talk about the why's and how's of opening a second location and how to know if it's the right move for you.

The term “Scale” is quite a buzzword in the business world today. In this episode, Dr. Cedric Lewis and Matt Kennedy define what “scaling your business” means to them and take a deep dive into how you can implement this concept into your dental practice.